Antifriction-bearing support for drawers



Octr2', 1928 1,686,473

, c. w. SlMPSON ANTIFRICTION BEARING SUPPORT FOR DRAWERS Original FiledMay 27, 1926 Patented Get. 2, 1928.

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uiair A E-r ANTIFRICTIQN-BEARING surro'nr ronnnnwnns. i

Q originalapplication filed Maya, 1926, Serial No. 112,118. Divided and;this' applicat ion filed I d November 26, 1926.

This invention relates to improvements in Ineansforefficientlysupporting drawers and V the ,like in anti-friction bearings, such asroller or ball bearings.

The primary object of this invention is the pro-vision of improvedanti-friction supporting and bearing means for efiiciently and compactlysupporting drawers for practically noiseless and efiicient operation.

A: further object of this invention' is the provision of means forefiiciently supporting library or cabinet drawers with an anti-fric tionconstruction, compactly arranged, and so provided that the externalappearance l5 of the drawers will not disclose the antifrictionconstruction. o Other objects and advantages of this invention will beapparent during the course of the following detailed description. In theaccompanying drawing, forming a part'of this specificatiom and whereinsimilar reference characters designate correspending parts throughoutthe several views,

Figure 1 is a fragmentary front elevation of a kitchen cabinet type ofdrawer, in connection with which'the novel vantifriction bearing isused.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken through the drawer andanti-friction construction, as illustrated in Figure 1, sub-, stantiallyon the line 22 of Figure 3.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan view, of ,the novel drawer illustratedinv Figures 1 and 2, showing the same closed and the com 35 pactrelation ofthe novel anti-friction supporting means therefor. Figure-4is an enlarged fragmentarysec tional View ofthe supporting anti-frictionvconstruction for the drawers illustrated in Figure 2. v v I Figure V5is a perspective view. of the drawer opening and supporting flange andantifriction means formed therewith for receiving the type of drawerillustrated in Figure 1. V

Figure 6 isya fragmentary perspective view showing the drawerconstruction and anti-frictimrineans therefor adapted to co- 'structioniSerial No. 150,851. 5

operate with the drawer anti-friction conI- Fig; ,7- is a view of thestop member; In the drawing, wherein for the purpose of illustration isshown only a preferred embodiment I of the 5 improved anti-frictiondrawer construction theletter A may gen- 5 erally designate a drawer;slidably housed] within a casing B upon anti-friction bear ings U ateach side thereof. The casing 13 for the drawer may be of any approvednature, such as acabinet or 0 librarytable casing, and'for the purposeof r i this the same Inayj-be considered as having approved side; walls10; and 11, between which a compartment 12 is provided, wherein thedrawer A is slidably mounted. The drawer A may include .side walls 13and 14, connectedby a bottom wall 15, and front and rear walls l6fand 17respectively,

and said drawer is adapted to slide inthe compartment 12 between: theside walls'lol and 11; the'spacing of the drawer side walls 13 and '14being such thatthey are slightly spaced withrespect to the innersurfaces of the casing walls 10 and 11, and in which spaces theanti-friction constructions above mentioned are operable.

Tohide the anti-friction construction "C which: operates in the; space,the front weir 16 of the drawer'A is provided with-lateral flanges. 19and 20, which close the spaces by projecting beyond the plane ofthesidewalls- 13 and 14:, asillustrated in Figure 3 of the drawing, sothat when the drawer is closed no portion of the space of thecompartment" 12 is visible from forwardly of;thecasing.

The means 6 for supporting the drawer or drawers A inan anti-frictionrelation upon the side walls 10 and 11, comprises-spaced upper and'lowerelongated tracks 25 and 26 respectively, at the inner] sides of each ofthe walls 10 and 11, secured thereto in any approved manner to provide aspace 27between the'bottom and top surfaces thereof respectively, withinwhich may befslidably received the track flange or bar 30, which isrigidly attached-to the outer surfaced-of the side wall 13 or 14, of thedrawer, as

the case maybe. It is of course understood that each side wall 13 and 14is provided with the track strip 30, and that it operates in a channel27 secured to the adjacent side wall of the casing.

Inwardly of the top surface of the lower track 26, it is preferred toprovide a V- shaped groove 32, and the angle of the slope of the sidesof this groove may vary from 60 to 90, and the same should not.relatively slope in planes greater than 90. Inwardly of the groove 32 ofeach track 26, a forward ball bearing 35 is disposed, which islimited'to a path of travel slightly less than one-half the length ofthe track 26, being forwardly restrained by means of a WVhen'the drawerA is slipped into place,

the bottomsurfaces of the side flanges engage upon the top projectingportions of the ball bearings'35 and 39, forsupporting' the drawer in ananti-friction relation upon 7 {the track 261 The grooves 32 haveoverhanging retainingfl'ange's 42 and 43, 'as'illustrated in Fig .ure 4of the drawings, to retain the ball hearings in plac'eagainst accidentallifting of' the same" from the grooves; these flanges til) overhangingthe maximum diameter of the ballfbearings in'order to retain them in'place against dis'placement.

At'therear portion of each of'the flanges or tracks 30, inwardly of thetop surfaces thereof, a groove 50isprovide'd, which extends fromthe rearend'51 of its respective flange or track 30 to half way between the endsofthe'track 30 ,the groove 50 in cross section'beingidentical'with thecross section of the groove 32, and as illustrated in Figgure 4, andbeing adapted to support front and rearball bearings 53 and 54respectively, which are limited in their path of travel by front,intermediate and rear abutments 55, 56 and 57 respectively, to limit themovement of the'ball bearings-to substantially I the same length oftravel at the front and rear ends of the grooves vof said'fianges ortracks 30. V Y

It is-readily'apparentthat when" the tracks or flanges 30 are slippedinto the channel between the upper and lower tracks 25 and 26 of thecasing B, the upper projecting portions of the ball bearings 53 and 54will engage theunder surfaces of the top tracks relation in the casingB, to counteract the tipping effect when the same is extended, andpermit easy sliding thereof, without binding.

25, to support the drawer A in a sliding From the foregoing descriptionof this;

invention it is apparent that'a novel type of anti-friction ball bearingsupport for drawers has been provided, which is susceptible of universaladaptation to various types of drawers, and which may be used inconnection with wooden, composition, or metal cabinet or tableconstructions. V

This application is a divisional application from my co-pending' Uni-tedState's application, Serial No. 112,118, filed May 27,

Various changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be madeto: the: form of invention herein shown and 'de--: scribed, withoutdepartingv from thespirit of the same or the scope ofthe claims.

I claim:

' 1. In an anti-friction drawer supporting I construction thecombination of a. casing having sidewalls, a drawer adapted to slidebetween the side walls of the casing including side walls, spacedparallel rtracks at' the inner sides of each of the casing sidewallsdefining a channel therebetween, atrack at tached to the outer sideofeaclr side wall of the drawer and slidable in the channel between theadjacent tracks of the side walls of the casing, andanti-friction'mea-ns, between the tracks of the casing sidewalls and theupper and lower-surfaces of the tracks of the'dr'awer side walls, saidanti-friction construction comprising elongated groovessubstantially thelength of the lower-tracks inwardly of the upper surfaces of the lowertracks of the side walls of the casing and having ball bearings therein,and the tracks:

of the side walls of the drawer inwardly of the. top surfaces thereoffor substantially one-half the length of said drawer tracks from therear end to intermediate the ends thereof having grooves with ballbearings positioned therein. s V

2. In an anti-friction supporting drawer construction the combinationofa casing having side walls, a drawer adapted to'slide' betweenthe sidewalls of the'casing including side walls also, spaced parallel tracks-atthe inner sides of each ofthe'casing side walls defining achanneltherebetween, the

lowermost of said tracks having anupwardly facing V-shaped groove alongthe length thereof subdivided by a stop block to pro vi'dea forwardgroove portion and a rearward groove portion, ball bearings intheforward groove portions of said lower tracks, ball hearings in therearward groove portions of said tracksfa track attached to theouter'side of each side wall ofthe drawer and slidable in the channelbetween the ad- J'acent, traoks of the side walls of the easing, saidtracks of the side walls of the drawer in the upper surfaces thereofhaving substantially V-shaped grooves therealong at the rear portionsthereof only, means sub-- in each of said groove portions, the tracks ofthe side walls of the drawer bearing such a relation to the uppermosttrack of the side Walls of the casing that the ball bearings of thetracks of the side walls of the drawer will engage the under surfaces ofsaid uppermost casing side wall tracks, 7 CHARLES W. SIMPSON.

